Music – Instruments – Electrical musical tone generation
Reexamination Certificate
2001-06-28
2003-04-01
Witkowski, Stanley J. (Department: 2837)
Music
Instruments
Electrical musical tone generation
C084S649000, C084S656000, C084S668000, C084S47700R, C084SDIG002
Reexamination Certificate
active
06541692
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
For a long time, electric organs have incorporated features that automate some aspect of playing music to make it easier for a novice musician to play music that sounds pleasing. These devices can play a rhythm track, or play an entire accompaniment selected by a single key. They can also provide more control by allowing the player to play the significant notes of the accompaniment, while automatically “filling in” and voicing the chords appropriately. However, these devices typically require at least some practice on the part of the player, and are therefore not suited to casual or one-time use by non-musicians.
Other devices are similar in function, but are designed for use by professional musicians. These typically are set up as MIDI sequencers with advanced controls that can be manipulated from a variety of input devices. A performer can use them to automate the generation of accompaniment music, or even whole melodies, while still allowing the flexibility to alter the performance while it is happening. These devices allow a single performer, such as a nightclub entertainer, to play nearly arbitrary requests from the audience, and still maintain a full sound, while not requiring an entire band of musicians. However, the complexity of control of these devices, and the potential for error that they introduce, take them out of the realm of entertainment machines designed for non-musicians.
Music learning devices have been created that allow a student to play along with either written or pre-recorded music, measure some aspect of the student's performance, and provide feedback on the quality of the performance. These devices typically run on a general-purpose computer, and use input controllers that either closely mimic the operation of an actual musical instrument, or are actually the instrument. By definition, they are designed for non-musicians to use (at least for the initial lessons), but they usually require some commitment of effort, and are not really entertaining enough to be attractive for casual or one-time use. In addition, they typically are not set up to sound good when the player plays incorrectly, since the point is to educate the student to play correctly.
Another professional device exists that uses the chord structure of the music to set up the keyboard so that it only plays notes that are part of the scale currently in use. This allows the player to improvise against the music more easily. A consumer version of this product exists that is implemented on a general-purpose computer. However, without any musical training, the improvisations that a player creates tend to be either monotonous or bizarre.
Some modern forms of music are based primarily on sampling, where short audio segments are played in rhythm to a backing track. As a result, some toys and other consumer products exist that allow non-musicians to select and play samples while a backing track is playing. Once again, without any musical training, the rhythmic improvisation produced by a novice tends to be fairly monotonous.
A device exists that allows non-musicians to control a melody that is automatically generated and played along with a pre-recorded accompaniment. By using a joystick or mouse input device, the player can control the general pitch (higher and lower) of the melody, as well as the density of notes in it. This device, which is implemented using a general-purpose computer, does not provide the player with the immediate tactile feedback that creates the illusion of playing an actual musical instrument.
An entertainment device exists that provides a display for a non-musician to follow and strum a guitar-like instrument or play a drum-like instrument. As a result, the device generates a musical part that is played along with a pre-recorded accompaniment. The player is rated on the accuracy of the performance, and the rating is used to control various responses of the machine. This device is again implemented using a general-purpose computer. However, this device uses a single part for an entire song, making it difficult to adjust the part dynamically to adapt to the skill of the player. In addition, the musical part is created as a single unit, making it relatively difficult and expensive to add new songs to the repertoire.
Several popular Japanese arcade games also provide a display for a non-musician to follow, and use a simple input device to play a generated musical part along with a pre-recorded accompaniment. These games are very similar to the entertainment device just described, and subsequently, include the same shortcomings.
Multiple musicians at disparate geographic locations have played together using computer networks to transmit performance information to each other. However, this has been done by musicians in constrained environments using low latency networks.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention enables a non-musician to produce reasonable music without any prior training. The invention relates to systems that allow individuals with limited or no musical experience to play along with pre-recorded music in an entertaining way. The invention allows a complete novice to use an extremely simple input device to play a part that fits in well with a harmonious background music part. The invention is instantly accessible to a beginner, and produces a reasonable-sounding part regardless of the skill of the player. The present invention provides the player with a guide to follow, and organizes the guide in the same conceptual way that music is organized. The guide of the present invention gives the player something to follow, and the automated note selection of the invention avoids the monotony that occurs in sampling devices when a player repeatedly selects the same sample.
In addition, the present invention contains a display that provides guidance to the player rather than relying on the player's ability to improvise. The present invention represents the part of the player as segments that are dynamically composed as the song is playing. This allows various parameters of the player's part (such as difficulty) to be adjusted during play without degrading the quality of the part. It also allows parts for new songs to be quickly and easily composed using the library of existing segments. The present invention also allows non-musicians to play together using a public network with high and/or variable latency characteristics.
A system and method to allow a person with no formal music training to play along with an existing musical song provides an entertaining experience for non-musicians who nonetheless have an interest in and enjoy music. The system defined here uses any computing device capable of generating musical tones and acting in response to input from a user. The process used to define the part that is played by the non-musician player is very similar to the process used to compose music, and as a result, can be manipulated as the song progresses to produce interesting variations of the part.
The computing device provides the user with a multimedia (sound and video) presentation of a musical performance. In addition, it uses algorithmically generated graphics to present the user with an intuitive display indicating when the user should be playing a rhythmic passage to go along with the musical performance. Following this display, the user manipulates one or more input peripherals that are designed to capture rhythmic actions such as tapping one's fingers, hitting with a stick, tapping one's feet, moving one's body, singing, blowing into a tube, dancing, or strumming taut strings. These actions are converted into a series of time-based signals that are transmitted to the computing device, which then algorithmically determines a set of musical tones to play in response to the actions. These musical tones fit in with the musical performance, and since they are played at the same time as the actions of the user, the user perceives that those actions are creating the musical tones. This provides the illusio
Hamilton Brook Smith & Reynolds P.C.
Witkowski Stanley J.
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